Locking up printers  forms



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

E. H. SPRAGUE, OF ZANESVILLE, OHIO.

LOCKING UP PRINTERS FORMS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,091, dated June 13, 1854.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, E. I-I. SPRAGUE, of Zanesville, in the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful ChaseLock for Locking Up Printers Forms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which--v Figure l, is a plan of a chase showing a form locked up in the same by my improved method. It also shows the application of the key or wrench. Fig. 2, is a vertical transverse section of the same. Fig. 3, is a broken perspective view of my improved lock, with the key modified. Fig. 4, is a perspective view of the key or wrench shown in Fig. l. F ig. 5, is a side elevation of the key, or lever, so modified that it can be used in an upright position in correcting copy, after the form is on the press.

Similar' letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

In what is termed imposing in printing the type after composition is transferred to a chase, which is usually a rect-angular frame with removable division strips across it to adapt it to the retention of variously sized pieces of type or pages according to the nature of the work .to be printed, several of these pages contained wit-hin the said division strips going to establish what is called the form or whole surface of type in the chase. To secure these pages in the chase, so as to admit of the form being handled and worked upon by the press without disturbing the type in the pages or the relative positions of the pages the one with the other, a set of loose furniture is used consisting of slips of wood of different dimensions, some of which are placed at the top of the pages (these being called head sticks), others between the pages to form the inner margin and others in the forms of wedges to the bottoms and sides of the pages. All the pages being then placed at their proper distances, they are fastened together by driving up small wedges of wood called quoins between the slanting side of the foot and the side sticks and the chase. This is the ordinary process of imposing or what may be described as setting and locking the form in the chase. Such a process is necessarily a slow and uncertain one, and in having to shift the form after a proof sheet has been taken (a frequent occurrence) to correct errors, suppress or insert matter, great inconvenience and delay arises,

. and occasional loss of the loose pieces or furniture, of sticks and quoins, causes yet further inconvenience.

To obviate such inconveniences and to eX- pedite and facilitate the setting and locking or unlocking, as the case may be, the form in the chase, by a different arrangement of devices, or in a different manner, to any heretofore employed for the same purpose, is the object of my invention, which may be described as consisting of tapering bars and wedges operated by hand lever and arranged along the side and-end of the chase for their whole length.

To enable others skilled in the art to Gr, H, is the compound lever or key for` bringing the wedge into action or forcing it tightly between the bars. It is provided with a movable fulcrum, a', and the part, H, has a pin, o, to turn upon. This pin is secured fast. into and fits loosely in either of the holes, in the bar, C, when in use. The main part, G, of the lever is also provided with a pin, c, which fits in either of the holes, d, in the wedge, E. The holes, are placed in such relation to those, al, that when the pin of the part, II, and the pin of the lever, G, are inserted in them, as shown in Fig. 1,-and the lever pulled to the position shown in red in same figure, the wedge will be forced tight between the bars, C, D, and be made to occupy the position shown in red, and thereby exert a powerful pressure upon the type, which pressure will cause them to be firmly held in the chase. When the lever has been moved to the position shown in red, and it is found that the form is not locked up sufficiently tight, its pins must be removed to other holes. ,After this the lever must be again moved to the right with sufficient force to press the wedge still farther between the bars, and so on until the form is perfectly locked up. It should be understood that the wedge remains securely in its place after once being forced home, and only can be removed by applying the key or lever and forcing it to the position shown in black from that shown in red.

' I, I, I, are openings in the bar, D, for the fingers to pass through in handling the form after it has been locked up.

A similar arrangement as that described, is employed for the foot lock, the key or levery which is used for the side lock being employed for forcing the wedge of the foot lock between the tapering bars of the same. The wedge might be forced between the bars by mea-ns of a lever similar to that shown in Fig. 3 by securing pins, f, f, fast in the wedge, E, and forming an oblong slot, g, in the lever, for either of said pins to play in as the lever is moved to the right or left. The operation of this lever will be evident from the drawing, Fig. 3.

The upright lever or key, shown in Fig. 5, might be used as a substitute for either of the horizontal levers described. It,however, can be used to greater advantage when the form is on the press, while correcting copy, as some presses, owing to their construction, will not admit of the horizontal levers being used. The pins or stops of this lever are made so as to turn loosely on centers.

Any person acquainted with the old and slow method of locking up forms in chases by means of small quoins and sticks will readily see the great superiority of my method and the saving in time and labor that can be effected by its use.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the intermediate wedge by its gradual taper and great length of surface exposed to friction will have little or no tendency to shift or loosen after the lock has peen established, also that by its working between the two tapering bars (C and D) a direct or straight and equally distributed pressure is thrown upon the entire form in locking the same, and this most expeditiously and easily by the single operation of the hand lever.

What I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Let-ters Patent, is-

The manner herein described of setting and locking or unlocking the form in the chase, by means of the tapering bars with their intermediate wedges extending lengthwise and crosswise of the chase on the side and end thereof and operated by hand levier as shown and described, substantially as specified, whereby the usual sticks and quoins are dispensed and the `many other advantages specified are obtained.

` E. H. SPRAGUE.

`Witnesses C. W. BUCKMASTER, JOHN WV. SIMoNs. 

